OnePlus has launched a 3D Tempered Glass Screen Protector for its latest flagship phone, the OnePlus 6T, and the product is now available for $20.95 on the OEM’s official website. The glass panel offers 9H hardness and edge-to-edge protection from scratches and drops, and has an oleophobic coating to keep smudges and fingerprint marks down to a minimum, as it should, considering that the OnePlus 6T has an in-display fingerprint scanner. The module still works with the tempered glass protector on top, but OnePlus advises users to re-enter their fingerprints after applying the panel in order to avoid potential misreads and increase the sensor’s accuracy. The product weighs 11 grams, measures 152-millimeters-high and 72-millimeters-wide, and adds only 0.62mm to the phone’s thickness. The OEM offers the tempered glass screen protector only in the color black, but this shouldn’t be an issue given that the flagship’s bezels are black regardless of the paint finish applied to the case. Much like the phone itself, the tempered glass screen protector has a notch at the top so it doesn’t cover the front-facing camera.
Background: The OnePlus 6T was released earlier in November featuring an exterior design similar to its predecessor, i.e., the OnePlus 6, which was introduced in May. Be that as it may, it’s impossible to mistake one device for the other because of two key differences in design, namely the display notch and the fingerprint scanner. Both phones have these features but the OnePlus 6T moved away from the rectangular notch and instead adopts a less intrusive water drop-shaped cutout for the front-facing camera. This resulted in a slightly higher pixel count and a more modern-looking phone. Likewise, there’s no longer a fingerprint sensor on the back panel because the latest flagship hides the module behind the display, making it a first in the OEM’s portfolio. Luckily as seen in a recent teardown video, the fingerprint module is not stuck to the display itself, so in an unfortunate scenario where the screen might crack, users should have an easier time replacing the panel than otherwise, without tampering with the fingerprint module itself. The phone’s display is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6, which is said to offer twice the protection from drops compared to Gorilla Glass 5.
Impact: With the emergence of bezel-less designs, smartphone displays are more prone to being damaged when misused and some users might feel the need to add some form of extra protection to their devices. OnePlus seems to be aware of this considering that the OEM included a plastic screen protector in the flagship’s retail box, but for OnePlus 6T owners who might want an even higher level of protection against drops and scratches, the latest tempered glass screen protector should offer just that. Keep in mind that the tempered glass screen protector is supposed to go directly on top of the Gorilla Glass 6 panel and any plastic protectors should be removed beforehand. The panel doesn’t seem to compromise the bezel-less design or the functionality of the in-display fingerprint scanner, and considering the already-low price of the smartphone itself, which retails for $549 as of this writing, the $20.95 price tag on the tempered glass screen protector still keeps the entire package below the $600 price point.
OnePlus 6T 3D Tempered Glass Screen Protector - OnePlus.com - $20.95
